Interview with Don Yaeger

“A loss is not a failure until you make an excuse.”

That’s the advice renowned professional basketball player Michael Jordan gave to Don Yaeger while they played basketball one-on-one during a charity event. Yaeger, a longtime Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated, speaker, and author of over 30 books, has spent his career studying the mentality of high-performing athletes and understanding the connection between discipline and greatness.

On this week’s episode of the Start With a Win podcast, Yaeger joins RE/MAX Holdings Co-CEO Adam Contos to share the wisdom he’s learned from professional athletes throughout his career – and share a few all-star anecdotes along the way.

Through interacting with some of the most influential figures in the history of sports, Yaeger has observed a few commonalities when it comes to mentality. Jealousy, he says, must be eliminated.

“One of the things that’s most important is that, when you really dig in to what made [these athletes] successful, they’re not sporting things – it’s not about being bigger, faster, [or] stronger than other people,” explains Yaeger. “It’s about being more mentally, emotionally [and] spiritually disciplined than the people you’re competing against.”

Yaeger used to think that these athletes’ best advice would revolve around their respective sport, but instead found that their driving motivation came from striving to overcome adversity, being a more inclusive teammate, and practicing better leadership. These actions help improve their performance on a field or court, and improve their mentality that ultimately benefits all other aspects of their lives.

“I’ll never have Michael Jordan’s physical gifts,” Yaeger quips. “But what I can work on are those mental and emotional disciplines that will allow me to be better.”

While they are human nature, excuses are some of the largest inhibitors of personal and professional growth.

Tune in to this week’s podcast episode to learn Yaeger’s best tips for people struggling to overcome their excuses and find success.

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